Intel Processor Category - Page 15 of 17 - CNX Software

July 12, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 21 Comments

Intel kills its NUC business

Intel has just decided to shut down its Next Unit of Compute (NUC) business selling mini PC, PC, boards, and modules directly to customers, as the company told partners they will stop direct investment into that part of their business. We first wrote about Intel NUC in 2014, but the company’s first NUC was launched in 2013, and I can only imagine Intel decided to kill the NUC business in order to focus on its core business which is to sell processors. They won’t directly compete against their customers anymore, although it’s unclear if this was part of the decision… I have mostly read praises about the NUC family over the years, but I’ve had a mixed experience myself. One family member asked for a reliable mini PC, so I recommended a Core-i5 NUC and while it mostly worked fine, we had to purchase a separate USB WiFI dongle as […]

July 7, 2023July 8, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 9 Comments

“Fixing” WiFi 6 on Linux in Alder Lake-N mini PCs (Intel N95, N100, Core i3-N300…)

Alder Lake-N mini PCs based on Processor N95, N100, and Core i3-N300/N305 SoCs are pretty popular these days due to their good performance/price proposition, and when Ian reviewed the Beelink EQ12 mini PC with an Intel N100, he seemed pretty happy about it, except the WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2 AX101 module was not recognized in Ubuntu and other Linux distributions. It’s not an isolated issue, as one person commented WiFi 6 and Bluetooth were not working in Linux on a Beelink mini PC with the N100 in an article about the T9 Plus, and I found out many people complained about the lack of Linux drivers for the AX101 on Intel community forums. They also left various solutions some of which work, some don’t. If you are using Ubuntu or Debian, the easiest way seems to update the kernel to the latest Linux 6.4 as follows:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:cappelikan/ppa
sudo apt update && sudo apt full-upgrade
sudo apt install mainline

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:cappelikan/ppa

sudo apt update && sudo apt full-upgrade

sudo apt install mainline

This will […]

July 5, 2023July 6, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 27 Comments

T9 Plus is a low-cost pocket-sized Intel N100 mini PC with three HDMI ports, dual GbE

We’ve seen a range of mini PCs based on the Intel Processor N100 “Alder Lake-N” SoC in recent months, and the T9 Plus is yet another one but offered in an ultra-compact (85x85x43 mm) form factor, yet still offering three HDMI 2.0 video output, two Gigabit Ethernet ports, and three USB ports. Pricing is also a highlight since the mini PC sells for as low as $117 in barebone configuration. The mini PC also features either 8GB or 16GB LPDDR5, an optional M.2 SATA or NVMe 2240 SSD up to 1TB, Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity, and an audio jack. Unsurprisingly for this small form factor, it’s not fanless, and actively cooled by a heat pipe, heat sink, and “silent fan”. T9 Plus mini PC specifications: SoC – Intel Processor N100 quad-core Alder Lake-N processor @ up to 3.4 GHz (Turbo) with 6MB cache, 24EU Intel HD graphics @ […]

June 26, 2023June 26, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 8 Comments

ASUS ExpertCenter PN42 mini PC with Intel Processor N100 launched for $220 and up

We’ve covered several Intel Processor N100 mini PC, mostly from smaller Chinese companies with models such as the Morefine M9, the ZX01 Plus/Topton M6S, or the Beelink EQ12 which we reviewed with Windows 11, TrueNAS, pfSense, Ubuntu, etc… But if you prefer to rely on more established brands, the MSI Cubi N ADL is an option for $289 on Amazon with 4GB RAM and 128GB storage, or the ASUS ExpertCenter PN42 fanless Intel N100 mini PC which is now listed for pre-order on B&H for $220 and up. ASUS ExperCenter PN42 specifications: SoC – Intel Processor N100 quad-core Alder Lake-N processor @ up to 3.4 GHz (Turbo) with 6MB cache, 24EU Intel HD graphics; TDP: 6W System Memory – Up to 16GB single-channel DDR4 3200MHz memory via one SO-DIMM socket Storage – 1x M.2 22080 PCIe 3.0 x4 socket for NVMe SSD Video Output HDMI DisplayPort 1.4 up to 4Kp60 […]

June 15, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 12 Comments

ASUS PRIME N100I-D D4 – An Intel Processor N100 mini-ITX motherboard

ASUS PRIME N100I-D D4 is a fanless mini-ITX motherboard based on the Intel Processor N100 quad-core “Alder Lake-N” processor with up to 16GB DDR4, M.2 NVME SSD and SATA storage, and three video outputs via HDMI, DisplayPort, and VGA ports. The motherboard also comes with a Gigabit Ethernet port, six USB 3.2/2.0 ports, a COM port, and a 3.5mm audio jacks combo with Line In, Line Out, and Microphone input, plus a PS/2 connector, and a 24-pin ATX connector for power. ASUS PRIME N100I-D D4 preliminary specifications: SoC – Intel Processor N100 quad-core Efficient “Alder Lake-N” processor clocked at up to 3.4 GHz with 24EU Intel UHD graphics up to 750 MHz System Memory – Up to 16B DDR4-3200 memory via DDR4 SO-DIMM slot Storage 1x M.2 2280 socket (PCIe Gen3 x2) for NVMe SSD 1x SATA3 6.0 Gb/s connector Video Output 1x HDMI 2.1 up to 4Kp60 resolution, HDCP […]

June 5, 2023April 28, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 6 Comments

$200 CHUWI LarkBox X gets Processor N100 option

Initially launched with an AMD Ryzen 7 3700U mobile processor last year, the CHUWI LarkBox X mini PC is now available with an Intel Processor N100 Alder Lake-N CPU and sold on Amazon for $199. The mini PC also got its RAM bumped from 8GB DDR4 to 12GB RAM, and its storage capacity has been doubled with 512GB NVMe SSD. The rest of the specifications look to be identical with triple 4K display support, two Ethernet ports, WiFi 5 and Bluetooth 4.2, as well as four USB 3.0 ports. CHUWI LarkBox X (2023) preliminary specifications: SoC – Intel Processor N100 Alder Lake-N quad-core processor @ up to 3.4 GHz (Turbo) with 6MB cache, 24EU Intel HD graphics @ up to 750 MHz; TDP: 6W System Memory – 12GB RAM Storage – 512GB NVMe M.2 2280 SSD Video Output 1x HDMI 2.0 up to 4Kp60 1x DisplayPort up to 4Kp60 1x […]

May 28, 2023June 4, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 15 Comments

8-inch mini laptop is powered by an Intel Processor N95 Alder Lake-N SoC

A mini laptop with an 8-inch touchscreen display, powered by an Intel Processor N100 N95 Alder Lake-N SoC coupled with 12GB LPDDR5, and an up to 2TB SSD has started to show up on Aliexpress for $350 and up. We’ve covered several devices powered by Intel Alder Lake-N processors including mini PCs, laptops, motherboards, and even a system-on-module, but we had not seen an Alder Lake-N “mini laptop”, so let’s have a closer look at this white brand mini laptop. Specifications: SoC – Intel Processor N95 Alder Lake-N quad-core processor @ up to 3.4 GHz (Turbo) with 6MB cache, 16 EU Intel HD graphics @ up to 1.2 GHz; TDP: 15W System Memory – 12GB LPDDR5 4800 MHz RAM Storage – 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, or 2TB M.2 NVMe SSD Display – 8-inch 10-point touchscreen display with 300 nit brightness, 180 degrees rotation, tablet mode; resolution: “high definition”, so basically […]

May 26, 2023May 26, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

SMARC 2.1 system-on-module is powered by an Intel Alder Lake-N Atom x7000E, Processor, or Core i3 processor

TQEmbedded TQMxE41S Alder Lake-N system-on-module

TQ-Embedded TQMxE41S is a SMARC 2.1 system-on-module (SoM) powered by an Intel Alder Lake-N Atom x7000E, Processor Nxxx, or Core i3 processor with a TDP ranging from 6W to 15W TDP, up to 16GB LPDDR5-4800 memory and up to 256GB industrial iNAND eMMC flash. The Alder Lake-N system-on-module exposes two 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet, four PCIe, USB 3.2, and SATA through its 314-pin edge connector as per SMARC 2.1, while the 12th generation Intel UHD Graphics in the SoC supports AVX256 and advanced AI instruction sets (VNNI) making it suitable for fast AI inferencing and media transcoding. The company expects the module to be integrated into applications in healthcare, IoT, industry/robotics, retail, and video & conferencing. TQEmbedded TQMxE41S specifications: Alder Lake-N SoC (one or the other) Intel Core i3-N305 – 8C/8T, (1.8 – 3.8 GHz); 6 MB Smart Cache, 15W TDP or 9W cTDP, 32 EU, Intel UHD Graphics (up to […]